


Beautiful Inconvenience

by theordinary



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CIA, Clexa, Colleagues to Lovers, Counter Intelligence, Diplomacy, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Leadership, Passion, Politics, Spies & Secret Agents, ambassador, embassy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-03 16:41:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13345254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theordinary/pseuds/theordinary
Summary: A world of modern-day espionage and diplomacy, of glamorous events, intense scrutiny, and shadowy deals. Where does diplomacy end and spying begin? As lines blur, and operations unfold, the embassy operates in the light, protected by international law against any form of interference or prying from the host country, while the CIA lurks in the shadows, ever watchful. The leaders of both of these worlds dance a dangerous game, with high-stakes and high-rewards.Theirs is a life of gathering intelligence by whatever means possible, all in the name of national security. Two women, both expert in their fields, give everything for their country. In this hostile and constantly changing environment, the dynamic pair must find a way to work together and thrive, to protect their teams and their country against threats foreign and domestic.





	1. Chapter 1

7am on a cold and wintery Monday morning, Washington DC is largely still asleep. The roads are calmingly empty save for a small spattering of street sweepers and garbage trucks. Pulling off the highway, the snow continues to plummet to the ground, the flakes occasionally being caught on the wind, and changing direction, before hurtling back towards the windscreen. A black Jeep creeps on despite the weather, passing a sign for Langley, Virginia. The vehicle indicates and turns. The driver rubs her eyes, having just landed after a 13 hour flight from Russia. The radio is on, the presenter chatting about some banal celebrity gossip. Although the voices are American, their frivolous talk sounds almost foreign to her ear now, after having been away so long.

Coming to a stop at the security checkpoint, the driver lowers her window, handing her badge over to the waiting security personnel at the entrance to the CIA compound. The Jeep’s driver sits and waits, while the guard’s eyes scan her identification and her face. Snow flakes fall into the car, earning an unimpressed purse of her lips. Grabbing her takeout coffee, she takes small sips of the welcome warm caffeine while largely ignoring the man scrutinising her papers, who seemed to be taking far too long.

Finally, after several minutes, the security guard reached for his radio, before circling back over to the car.  
“Here’s your paperwork back Ma’am. Thank you, Agent Woods. You can go through now. Have a good day”, he added, tapping the top of her car.  
The steam of the security guard’s breathe loitered around him like a cloud, as he pulled his jacket collar up around his neck a little tighter and pressed the buzzer to signal to the control room to release the locks on the gates. With that, the brunette placed her drink back in its holder, casually taking her identification from the security guard’s cold outstretched hand, before giving a curd nod and proceeding through to the CIA’s parking lot with her rented vehicle.

Stepping out of the car, snow cracked and compressed under the agent’s polished shoes. Her black pants and shirt were immaculate as always, despite the adverse weather, and the long-haul flight. She rounded her vehicle to grab her fitted suit jacket hanging in the back, before putting it on and making her way to the building’s entrance.  
Once inside, and beyond the airport-style security, Agent Lexa Woods headed for the sleek steel elevators. 

The sound of approaching heels clicking on the polished stone floor caught the agent’s attention, snapping her back into reality. She blinked slowly, once or twice, all the while the heels vocally announcing the arrival of the newcomer with every step, until a stunning blonde in a form-fitting navy pencil skirt, pastel blue blouse and navy blazer stepped beside her. The blonde noticed Lexa’s gaze, and flashed her a polite smile. Others invariably joined them before the lift arrived, all filing in; the lift ascending and dropping people off at their designated floors.

Lexa’s inquisitive green eyes couldn’t help but examine the beautiful stranger; a product of her training to be suspicious. Noticing her visitors’ badge, and briefcase, and her air of professional confidence, Lexa surmised as to the identity of this attractive stranger. The lift dinged, and a handful of people stepped off, rousing the blonde from her scrolling of emails on her phone. Her crystal blue eyes connected with Lexa’s green, before both looked away. Lexa felt hot all of a sudden, and rubbed the back of her neck, before snapping back to her cool demeanour and re-focusing on her day ahead.

When the elevator dinged again, both Agent Woods and the blonde stranger stepped out onto a floor completely abuzz with activity. Couriers weaved through open plan desks with files, while military men shuffled along plush wooden panelled corridors. Lexa signed in at the reception desk before being led to a waiting room. The blonde followed suit, the pair joining several others, all waiting for their respective meetings. Gradually, each was called and led away.

As the CIA’s station chief in Moscow, Lexa had been summoned to the CIA’s headquarters to brief officials at home on recent developments in her region. It was routine, and necessary, but Lexa still didn’t like it. Lexa knocked on the door she was led to, before it swung open, revealing the head of the CIA.  
“Ah, station chief Woods, welcome back to America! Come. Take a seat. I hear your flight was delayed due to the snow.”  
“Thank you, Sir”, Lexa smiled, settling into a chair to his right.  
“Yes, I almost didn’t make it.”  
“Well, we’re glad you’re here. It’s especially apt as, due to the departure of the previous Moscow-based ambassador, his replacement will also be in attendance today. So rather conveniently she can also be briefed directly before starting the transfer over there in the coming weeks. I trust you’ve had an opportunity to read her file?”  
“Yes Sir. On the way over from Moscow. It helped kill time’, Lexa shrugged, while taking her laptop out and setting it on the desk neatly and precisely.

A number of minutes later, and the blonde from the elevator also stepped into the room, as well as a man with dark curly hair. The man immediately took a seat on the periphery of the room, while the blonde woman came to the table, taking a seat directly opposite Lexa. Agent Woods silently watched as the mystery woman poured herself a glass of water, bringing the glass up to her lips. Just at that moment she chose to look up, her crystal blue eyes again immediately connecting with Lexa’s green ones across the table. They held one another’s gaze for a moment, slightly longer than they had earlier, before breaking away again.

The chairman wandered over, all smiles and swagger, eager to begin proceedings.  
“Thank you for joining us Clarke. I think we are all here now so I’ll do some introductions”, he said, clasping his hands together.  
“Everyone, this is Ambassador Clarke Griffin, new diplomatic envoy to Moscow. She will take up her posting at the embassy in exactly two weeks’ time. The gentleman behind is Mr Bellamy Blake, who will be her deputy. Given the complimentary roles of embassy and station, members of the diplomatic service are here today. I’m sure you’ll all ensure they are warmly received here at the CIA”.  
Smiles and nods and murmurings ricocheted amongst those in the room, the din rising and falling before a silence settled again. Clarke gave a courteous smile to those present, nodding and thanking everyone briefly before the chairman cut in again.  
“Ok, Agent Woods, over to you. The floor is yours. Brief us on the situation in Moscow”. 

Twenty minutes passed, and Lexa was in full flow, explaining key operations, significant intel, and potential figures of interest. Coming to a close, a member of the military raised his hand.  
“Yes, sir?” Lexa asked, confidently.  
“Agent Woods, can you explain expand on that last point further?”, a heavy-set man enquired, wearing a marine corp uniform.  
“Yes, certainly”, Lexa andwered smoothly.  
“We’ve got field agents strategically positioned in order to best infiltrate this group. However, a key asset working on our side seemed to have become spooked, and has gone to ground. We are still in play, but we are proceeding with caution. It’s disappointing, as we’ve come so far, but we will salvage what we can’.  
Lexa looked around the room, noting the satisfied nods from several around the table. The blonde was taking notes, pausing to raise her hand.  
“Yes, ambassador?”, Lexa smiled.  
Clarke cleared her throat, before announcing:  
“How do we known your insider has merely had cold feet, and that he has not been turned by another agency? Can you confirm your team hasn’t been compromised?”.  
Lexa shuffled on her feet while composing her answer. Talking with her hands, and clearly passionate about her job, she replied.  
“Thank you for your question, ambassador. As per our protocol, we’ve kept 24 hour surveillance on our informant, and have found no reason to suspect any communications with any other agencies at this point. I stress that the security of my team remains paramount, and we will continue to be vigilant before proceeding. We remain optimistic that we will be able to persuade our asset to carry on with the operation, stressing the importance of his work so far to not only his own domestic affairs, but also to matters of international security. If we need to, we will find something in his private life that we can leverage in order to coerce him into providing us with the access and cover we need”.  
The blonde nodded, and made further notes, seemingly happy with the response.  
Lexa stood straight with her arms clasped behind her back, scanning the room, poised for any additional questions from the floor, all the while remaining in full control of her subject.

Two hours later, and with curt nods and handshakes the group dispersed. The meeting had gone smoothly, and Lexa was relieved that she would not have to repeat this procedure for at least another six months. Walking over to the water cooler, Lexa poured herself a drink. Glancing quickly out the window at the deepening snow, she rolled her jaw and rubbed the back of her neck, hoping that the weather would not delay her flight out of Washington Dulles Airport later than evening.  
The rest of her day would be filled with other meetings and paperwork, before her night flight back to Moscow, a harsh environment but one in which Lexa thrived and ached to return.

“It’s really coming down today, huh?”, Clarke stated, pursing her lips slightly, as she came to a stop next to Lexa, her arms folded as she too gazed out the window.  
Smiling Lexa turned to face the new presence, “Moscow is much the same at this time of year. You had better get used to it”.  
“Hmmmm, I guess so”’ Clarke hummed in casual agreement, from where she leaned against the window frame. Her phone beeped, and she quickly shut it off before looking at her watch. Turning to face the brunette she smiled.  
“Looks like my time’s up. Onto the next meeting. I’ll see you out there Agent Woods”, Clarke said, extending her hand into the small space between them.  
Lexa took it, shaking the blonde’s hand firmly.  
“Until we meet again, ambassador”.


	2. Chapter 2

The plane seemed to rattle and shake its way across the Atlantic, as Clarke tried in vain to sleep. Sighing, she pulled out some paperwork, scanning the pages with her restless eyes. Every now and again an air steward would offer her food and drink, or come around with blankets. Her night was fitful, and sleepless, but still Clarke couldn’t wait to touch down in her new world. 

Once on the ground she collected her luggage, and made her way to the arrivals area, where she knew her deputy Bellamy would be waiting. Turning on her cell phone, she was immediately inundated with messages, scrolling through them quickly to see if any required her urgent attention. She fired off a few messages before slipping her phone into her jacket pocket. 

Already jet-lagged, and very sleep-deprived, she couldn’t wait to get on embassy soil, and meet her team - some of whom she had appointed directly, and some she had inherited from her predecessor. She spotted Bellamy, flanked by a tall man with floppy hair, Finn Collins, a mid-ranking member of her team, who’d been in Russia for over a year now.

“Welcome!”, Bellamy greeted, grabbing her bag and leading them through the crowd to a waiting blacked-out vehicle with diplomatic plates.  
“How’s everything been at the embassy?”, the blonde enquired, her lack of sleep laying heavy, her voice groggy. Finn just smiled and climbed in the front, alongside Bellamy, who volunteered an answer.  
“The transition is going well. The day to day running is normal. You’ve got a busy month ahead of you. Lots of the great and good want a seat at your table”.  
Clarke climbed into the back of the vehicle, strapping herself in. Raven was already sat in the adjacent passenger seat, her laptop open.  
“Morning Griffin”  
“Raven. Everything ok?”  
“Bellamy is right. Things are all in hand, but there’s still a lot of work. We need to establish you as the new ambassador on the circuit. The set-up at the embassy is going well, and as you’ve instructed I’ve arranged for a black tie event to be held at the weekend so that you can re-establish some old networks, and try and open up a few more diplomatic channels. The CIA and the military are handling security, and they’ve already been briefed on numbers, venue, catering...”, Raven replied, tapping away lightly and swiftly on the keyboard of her laptop as she spoke.  
“Your residence is ready. Do you want to head there first, or come straight into the office? I’ve not scheduled you anything in for today as I assumed you’d be dead to the world. You’ve always been a terrible traveller”, Raven chuckled, watching as Clarke yawned. The pair had known one another since they were 18, having met at college. Once Clarke began to progress in the diplomatic service, Raven followed, with her own specialist set of skills that soon made her indispensable. It seemed natural for Clarke to appoint Raven as her operations manager, the two having a natural synchronicity.  
“I feel like I haven’t slept at all since Washington, but I should show my face at the embassy. I want full updates on all recent events. I also want a review of military personnel stationed at the embassy, daily numbers of visitors; I think it’s important we review all aspects of the running of the embassy”.  
Raven nodded and began typing and clicking, already working to action Clarke’s commands. A quiet passed over the car, and Clarke leaned her head against the cold glass of the window, staring out onto the highway, and the passing cars, and distant lights of Moscow in the early morning.

“What’s the update on the Ice Nation operation?” Lexa barked, pacing the meeting room’s floor”.  
“Anya’s had a meeting with the university professor again last night. She’s written a summary, here. Otherwise, pretty quiet on all fronts overnight”.  
“And what about the group we’ve been tracking in the east, by the border? Any movement?”  
“No. We’ve got Lincoln monitoring, but lines have gone dead. Indra is tracking it”.  
“Fine. That is all”, Lexa said, returning to her chair while the selected group filed out of the room. 

Making her way back out of the meeting room herself, Lexa looked up and saw a blonde weaving through, the woman turning straight on to final reveal the presence of the newly arrived ambassador.  
Lexa made her way over, meeting Clarke in the middle of the floor. She could feel the eyes of some of her staffers on her, but none dared to interrupt.  
“Ambassador. I thought you were due to fly in tomorrow?”  
“Agent Woods, hello” Clarke let out, almost out of breathe. “Yes, there was a change of plans. I had to take a red-eye from DC. I’ve been here a few hours already. Is there somewhere we can talk? Privately”.  
“Sure. Come this way”, Lexa said solemnly, gesturing for Clarke to follow and leading the pair to a room at the back corner.

“Take a seat ambassador” Lexa declared, wasting no time, as she strode into the room, closing the door and rounding her desk to sit opposite. Lexa nodded and gulped, inviting Clarke to start with a raise of her eyebrows.  
“I’m sorry that we are going to have to get down to business straight away, but I need CIA assistance”. Clarke paused, rubbing her eyes.  
Lexa smiled, “things have a tendency to be like that around here. There’s never a quiet moment”.  
Clarke nodded, pursing her lips, before proceeding.  
“It has come to my attention that there’s been a leak at the embassy. Sensitive information is being siphoned off. I know the culprit. He’s sadly not intelligent enough to have covered his tracks sufficiently well in order to avoid detection. Some of my team arrived in advance of me, and despite the influx of new staffers, he’s still been accessing confidential files and moving them outside of the embassy. Miss Reyes, my operations manager, has footage; the evidence is irrefutable. But what I don’t know is where the information is going. I need you to find the end of the line before I can deal with him”.  
“What’s his full name?” Lexa enquired.  
“Finn Collins... he’s one of...”  
“I know Finn Collins.” Lexa cut in, raising her hand to stop Clarke from speaking. “He’s been here a year already?”  
“Yes. The previous ambassador suspected something was up. When the transition occurred, instead of firing him, I requested we leave things exactly as they were, and draw him out, gather the evidence we need. We’ve got enough to prosecute, but now I want to see where the trail leads. Two nights ago, a large cache of documents were copied and smuggled out of the embassy. We’ve got to act fast”.  
“Why wasn’t I informed of this sooner?”  
“I only learned of it the day after you’d already left for Russia, and we couldn’t risk any of our communications being intercepted. So I’ve had to wait until I was face to face. The only people here who know are you, me and Miss Reyes”.  
Lexa sat and pondered a moment before quickly regrouping.  
“Ok, carry on as usual. We stick to our scheduled meetings at the embassy, and here at the station, but I’ll come to the residence if either of us need to talk. Understood? And I’ll need to see Miss Reyes. Tell her that she’s to report to me this afternoon”.  
Clarke looked relieved, closing her eyes and taking a steadying breathe.  
“You look exhausted”.  
“Thanks”, Clarke smiled, easing some of the charged atmosphere. “...there’s an embassy event on Friday. Black tie. All the staff will be there, as well as others from the wider community here”.  
“I’ll ensure I’m there”, Lexa nodded in understanding. “We can’t use my team to tail Collins when he leaves embassy soil, as he might recognise some of the faces. There’s some local assets I can use. We will sort this ambassador. I can quite appreciate you won’t feel at ease until Mr Collins and anyone he is collaborating with are removed from embassy soil”.  
“Yes. I’ll apprecaite the CIA’s discretion and efficiency in dealing with this matter. And, call me Clarke”.  
“Clarke”, Lexa echoed softly.  
They held each other’s gaze for a moment before Clarke stood, clearing her throat.  
“I should go. I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thanks you, Agent Woods”.  
Clarke smiled professionally and shook the brunette’s hand before making the short journey back to the embassy.

The rest of the week passed without much event, so much so that Clarke almost forgot the nagging anger that one of her team was betraying them. She kept her end of the bargain perfectly, smiling at Finn’s jokes, and involving him in meetings. Clarke and Lexa continued their usual activities at the embassy and neighbouring station, all the while disguising their activities behind the scenes endeavouring to uncover the recipients of his betrayal. Ambassador and Station Cheif would frequently pass in a corridor, sharing a fleeting smile or a cool nod as they went about their daily business. Clarke had settled into life at the helm of a busy embassy, while Lexa quietly and seamlessly gathered information on the embassy leaker.

Although Clarke’s working days were often relentlessly long, she was slowly able to unpack some of her possessions over at her new house on evenings when exhaustion didn’t get the better of her. The ambassador’s residence was within sight of the embassy, comprising of a suite of rooms in a plush part of central Moscow. It was stately, but also modern. Clarke felt half a world away when she was half way through unpacking a box of old photographs. Sighing, she put the pictures away.

A knock sounded at the door, pulling Clarke from her thoughts. She opened it to reveal Agent Woods, standing in casual clothing - black skinny jeans, a marl sweater, and leather jacket. A soft cashmere scarf hung loosely around her neck.  
She smiled, before embracing Clarke. Mid-way through the hug, Clarke realised the ruse, encircling Lexa in her arms as casually as she could muster.  
“Invite me in” Lexa whispered into her ear as they pulled away.  
“Hey, hi, come in”, Clarke beamed, throwing the door open and gesturing.  
Lexa stepped inside, closing the door behind her and following Clarke down a corridor and into the main sitting area. 

“Sorry about that. We don’t yet know how far the embassy leak goes, or who might be watching”, Lexa said, her arms behind her back, standing straight and formally now they were safely out of sight.  
“I understand”, said the blonde, feeling tense and apprehensive suddenly.  
“I’ve had teams following Mr Collins as we discussed. He seems to be using a dead drop location on the Leninsky Prospekt. So far no one has collected from the dead drop”, Lexa reported, her green eyes flashing.  
“That’s good. Thanks for the update. You know, he’s been flirting with me a lot since I arrived”. Clarke made a face to accentuate the fact this wasn’t welcome attention, but also sounded entirely sceptical of his behaviour. Lexa bit her lip, and folded her arms.  
“Do you think he’s trying to get close to you in order to gain access to documents with a higher security clearance?”.  
“Yes”, Clarke said evenly, sitting and gesturing for Lexa to join her on the sofa.  
“Raven has also reported that he’s been increasing his attentions with her, shall we say. It seems he’s going all out”, Clarke said with a lop-sided smile and rolling her eyes.  
Lexa scoffed. “You’re definitely both out of his league, but ten out of ten to him for trying”.  
The blonde chuckled, them both allowing themselves a momentary reprieve from the pressures and gravity of their respective jobs. A nice kind of silence settled between them.  
“Hell of a first week in the job, huh”, Clarke said, shaking her head in disbelief.  
“Yes, you’re a long way from New York now”, Lexa replied, relaxing into the sofa slightly.  
Raising an eyebrow, Clarke turned,  
“So you’ve read my file? I’m actually from LA you know?”.  
“Of course I’ve read your file. LA, then college at Harvard, a stint in Europe, before your move to New York. Mother’s a senator. No siblings...”, Lexa reeled off, proving her point and grinning.  
“What about you then? Unsurprisingly I never got a file on you. Apparently spies don’t have nice, neat summary files on open access”.  
Lexa smiled and licked her lips.  
“I was in the military, before being recruited to Langley”.  
Lexa’s cell phone started ringing, cutting through their newfound calm.  
“Duty calls” she said, rising to her feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow ambassador...”.  
“Goodnight Agent Woods”, Clarke said, showing the brunette out, a small smile left on her face, lingering even after she closed the door.


	3. Chapter 3

After a night of reconnaissance across town, and a visit to a safe house to check on an operative, Lexa and Anya wearily returned to base. The week would soon be at an end, but in many ways it hadn’t felt like it had just begun. Stepping out of the lift and rounding the corner, they were greeted by long toned legs, neatly crossed. Clarke was sat at one of the hard leather chairs, tapping on her phone and waiting. The woman looked immaculate, and every inch the professional. Her jet-lag starting to abait, she was back on top form, and more like the polished figure Lexa recognised as the one she had met at Langley. Anya wiggled her eyebrows the moment the pair caught sight of the ambassador, and smirked. “She’s certainly an upgrade on the previous ambassador...”.  
Lexa ignored her colleague, not allowing herself to be distracted, and moved over to the seating area, her full focus on the blonde.  
“Ambassador”, she greeted, coming to a stop in front of the seated woman, her brow slightly furrowed. “Agent Woods”, Clarke said, rising from her seat, and stepping towards the brunette.  
“I’m sorry for the late intrusion, but I believe we have a few things to discuss? There’s a plumber over at the residence, as the apartment building has sprung a leak, so I had some time to come over here instead”.  
Realising that the ambassador was trying to tell her that their agreed meeting spot was not free of prying ears, Lexa gestured for Clarke to follow, her face serious. Clarke watched as the spy deftly weaved through the offices, th blonde right on her heels matching her pace for pace. 

“Sit. Is everything ok?”, Lexa enquired, her neutral voice laced with something almost like concern, or simply tiredness, the blonde couldn’t be sure.  
Lexa whipped her jacket off, and took her gun out of its holster, cocking it and removing the clip, before placing it carefully on the table. Clarke watched her dismantle the gun with a fluency that was impressive, sexy even. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she kept on point, clearing her throat and beginning.

“Agent Woods. I’ve just heard from Lincoln. I hear that you’ve made some progress. A note was found at the dead drop you’ve been surveilling?... requesting that Finn attend a meeting?”  
“Yes, a location and time was scrawled on a note we intercepted. We placed it back there for Nr Collin’s to find as was intended. We believe Mr Collin’s will be meeting his minder tomorrow. In the meantime we will continue to have local assets watch his movements outside of the embassy, but it seems he’s due to meet them right before the black tie event here”.  
“Ok. He still hasn’t left embassy this evening. I passed his office on the way over here”.  
“Does he usually work this late?”  
“Sometimes. It’s not unusual. He and Bellamy have had a lot of administration lately, what with all the new starters I recruited. Raven is remotely monitoring his PC, so we will see”, Clarke shrugged. 

Lexa stifled a yawn, the day and night having weighed heavily.  
“Looks like you’ve also been working too late too many times as well”, Clarke said, smiling, her voice husky and exhausted too from a day of back to back meetings. She watched, amusement in her eyes, as the normally stoic station chief attempted to straighten her posture in an endeavour to appear more alert and restore some formality.  
Allowing herself a brief smile, Lexa nodded.  
“Yeah. It’s about time we all headed home I think. How’s the jet-lag?”.  
“You were thankfully my last stop today, so I’m definitely getting myself back over to the residence now. I’m starting to adjust to th new time-zone, but it’s still disorientating”, she sighed. “Are you unpacked yet?”  
“No... it’s a slow process”, the blonde winced, standing and picking up her bag.  
“Here, I’ll walk out with you”, Lexa said, collecting her things as well. 

Once on the sidewalk the pair started in the direction of the ambassador’s residence, but immediately something seemed amiss.  
“What is it, ambassador?” Lexa enquired, sensing a shift in the blonde’s demeanour.  
“It’s probably nothing”, Clarke said slowly, “but that van was parked there earlier too. When I went to a meeting over at the Canadian embassy. The same two guys are still there now, just sat there... Why would they just be sitting there like that... all day?!...”, she said, in clear disbelief.  
“Which van”, the brunette quickly snapped, watching where the blonde was gesturing. She squinted and saw a beige vehicle, with two occupants inside, a little way down the street.  
Lexa grabbed the ambassador’s arm, and spun them, dragging them both out of sight down a narrow alleyway.  
Clarke went to speak but Lexa’s hand came up and covered her mouth. Their bodies were pressed together, as Lexa stared at her.  
“Stay silent”, she whispered before slowly retracting her hand, the two heavily breathing and non-verbally searching the others face for questions and answers that never came. Moments passed agonisingly slowly, but the pair stayed still and waited. Lights came rapidly towards them, and the van that was so stationary a moment ago could be heard to speed up rapidly before screeching to a halt. Agent Woods pushes off the wall, and ordered Clarke to stay hidden, while she cracked her head out. Doors opened, and the men leapt out.  
Lexa ran towards the danger, witnessing two men grabbing a figure on the street outside of the embassy. There was a struggle, before one of the figures collapsed.  
Lexa ran at full speed now towards the scene, with Clarke following behind, against her and Lexa’s better judgement.  
Lexa collided with one of the men untidily, knocking his weapon from his hands. He hit her, and she recoiled, allowing him a moment to crouch and try and grab his knife back. The ambassador yelled, and tried to kick the knife away, while the other assailant ran at them. Agent Woods had regained her footing by now, and shouted for the blonde to run, as she gave chase. The two men took their chance, piling back into their vehicle and speeding away. It was all over in a flash, all messy movements and chaos. The brunette wasted no time and threw herself down, checking for a pulse at the neck motionless person on the floor, while simultaneously trying to stem the blood-loss, and shouting in Russian and English for help. Immediately she recognised the victim as Finn Collins, calling his name in the feeble hope he might rally around. He had been stabbed multiple times. Releasing he had passed away, she turned her attention to Clarke, who was still stood in the road, and still potentially in harms way. 

“Are you ok? Ambassador?... Are you hurt?”, Lexa pleaded, frantically checking the blonde all over. All Clarke could see was blood, creeping and crawling across the sidewalk, painting the grey a harrowing red.  
“Ambassador?... Clarke?”, Lexa whispered, holding the blonde’s face in her hands.  
Finally, Clarke was roused from her daze, her eyes connecting with Lexa’s.  
She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. Her brilliant blue eyes were filled with water, and her chin quivered, but no tears escaped.  
“I’m ok”, she finally mustered, in a barely there whisper.  
Lexa’s voice came over calm and steady.  
“Ok. Listen to me. We need to get off the street. We need to move”.  
“O... ok...” Clarke articulated, her voice cracking.

The pair started moving, beating their retreat back to the embassy, back towards the lifeless body lying on the road. Clarke could feel herself moving, but didn’t feel a part of her body, sounds coming through muffled and feet moving automatically, almost of their own accord.  
Already, members of the US military were filtering out onto the street, and as Lexa neared them she shouted for them to secure the area and preserve the crime scene. Turning to check on Clarke, she placed a protective arm around her, and led her up the steps and back onto embassy soil.  
Anya and Lincoln came running down, guns in hand, as she signalled for them to assist the officers outside.  
“Chief, are you both ok?” Lincoln tried, pausing in front of the two women, but Lexa waved him off. “Go!”, he nodded, and ran after Anya.  
Agent Woods led Clarke to a seating area, setting her down and crouching in front of her. 

The ambassador swallowed, sucked her lips in, and looked towards the ceiling, willing her tears not to fall.  
“It’s ok, ambassador... Clarke. Breathe”, came Lexa’s soothing voice again, through all the turmoil and shouting and sirens.  
Clarke closed her eyes, and took some steadying breathes, before opening them to take in the spy opposite.  
Her eyes all at once became frantic, only now really focusing on the woman in front of her properly.  
“Agent Woods, your shirt. You’re covered in blood! Oh my god”, the blond panicked, throwing her hands forward and pulling open the agents blazer to reveal a blood-sodden shirt.  
“I’m ok, Clarke. It’s... it’s Finn’s blood”, she said solemnly, apologetically.  
At that the blonde recoiled, visibly horrified, clasping the seat for some sense of gravity as everything around her spun.  
Lexa looked at the ground, the only sign that the night’s events had any effect.  
“This is all my fault... if I’d have had him arrested and deported, this whole situation would have been avoided. He wouldn’t be lying out there dead!”, the ambassador began, furious at herself and the situation.  
“He was clearly out of his depth. We had enough to prosecute. I was using him. We were using him to get to his minders, and now this!”, the blonde carried on. Lexa leaned back on her heels, collecting herself, and at that Clarke stood, wringing her hands and pacing.  
“His blood is on my hands. I killed him”. Suddenly a hand came out, grabbing the blonde’s forearm, and halting her in her tracks.  
“This isn’t on you ambassador. You were doing the right thing. Don’t do this to yourself”, the brunette whispered, slowly shaking her head.

Lincoln came back in, his feet bounding across the entranceway breaking the moment. Lexa retracted her hand, and stood straight, waiting for Lincoln to speak.  
“Chief. Local law enforcement will be here imminently. They’ll need yours and the ambassadors statements. Anya and Indra have got their teams sweeping the area. So far, nothing. It was a clean hit”, he said, grimacing and clearly angry.  
“Thank you Lincoln. Can you lead the ambassador to my office? We’ll do the interviews there. I want to go and speak to the agents outside, for a moment”.  
“Yes Chief. Ambassador, Miss Reyes and Mr Blake are on their way back in. Come with me”, he said, leading the blonde further into the building and further away from the chaos outside.


	4. Chapter 4

It seemed like Clarke had been sat in Lexa’s office for an eternity when the door opened, and Anya, Lexa’s second in command, entered. It was now one in the morning, and exhaustion gave way to adrenalin.  
“Ambassador. The Russian police have arrived at the embassy. As Mr Collin’s was attacked on the roadside, it falls under their jurisdiction. Agent Woods will be escorting them through now. It goes without saying, but due to the sensitive nature of Finn’s activities here at the embassy, you cannot tell the security forces anything beyond what you just witnessed outside. We don’t yet know if what happened was tied to the leaks at the embassy. We don’t know the kind of trouble Mr Collins was in, and we cannot show any signs of weakness here at the embassy. So I need you to make sure you follow protocol, and keep this as an internal matter”.  
Clarke nodded, having used the time sat in Lexa’s office to regain some of her composure.  
“I understand. We cannot afford to attract the attention of the FSB. And if it publicly broke that there’s been leaks from the embassy, it would be a diplomatic and political disaster. I’m quite aware”. She gave Anya a disdainful look, not appreciating being told what to do, a look Anya returned with interest. The door clicked open again and Raven and Bellamy entered, both warmly embracing the blonde before moving to stand at the back of the room so that they could observe proceedings. Although the murder required the Russian police to investigate, the police would be coming onto US soil at the embassy, and so the interview would be conducted just as the Americans so dictated. Unless the police wanted to call them in to their station, the embassy staff were largely untouchable. 

The two Russian detectives who entered were dressed in heavy coats, and boots, eying each member of staff in the room carefully before taking a seat, and extracting a notepad. The air felt heavy, and thick with the feeling that everything was not ok. Clarke felt sick, but a level of relief flooded through her at the sight of the brunette Station Chief arriving behind them.

Lexa walked in, and protectively took up a position just behind the blonde, standing and leaning against the window ledge. She felt responsible for the mental protection of the ambassador just as much as she did for her physical well-being when they were out on the street just an hour before.  
A policeman with a coarse dark beard began, in a deep, booming voice, “Добрый вечер”. Lexa pushed off her perch, her eyes like thunder. “”Rовори по-английски”, she fired back sternly, Clarke watching as the detective repositioned himself slightly in his chair and gulped, clearly bowing to Lexa’s authority.  
Clarke turned her head and looked at Lexa inquisitively, the agent mustering a warm smile and putting her hand on the blonde’s shoulder gently, resting it there while the police asked their first question.  
“Ambassador, can you confirm the identity of the deceased man?” His voice came through in a thick Russian accent.  
Clarke nodded, and linked her hands together on her lap.  
“His name is Finn Collins. He’s been a part of the Moscow diplomatic team for the last year. I was only transferred here a week ago, but my assistant will be able to give you his precise dates of employment...”.

“Ok”, he scribbled something down in Russian, and proceeded, “What did you see outside? Try and be specific”.  
She drew in a sharp breathe, and Lexa gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze.  
“Two men... in a van. The vehicle was beige, or light brown, I didn’t see the plates”.  
“Any markings?”  
“No... but I couldn’t be sure. I saw the van earlier in the day as well, at around 4 when I left the embassy for meetings across town. That was when we left for the Canadian embassy, right?”, she queried, turning to Bellamy and Raven for confirmation. They nodded.  
“And the men?”  
“White, plain clothes... I don’t know. It happened too fast... they were speaking in Russian. One had dark hair... the other, I don’t know?! Both were in dark clothes. I couldn’t be certain about anything else”.  
“So they’ve been watching the embassy all afternoon and evening? This doesn’t seem like a random attack?”

Clarke realised she may have given too much away. Lexa retracted her hand, tensing and rolling her jaw, about to intercept whatever the officer said next, standing as if ready to attack. Clarke beat her to it.  
“The embassy would be an easy target for muggers. Many high-profile diplomatic figures come and go from this building, many of which are wealthy. I can only assume...”, Clarke began her recovery before the police officer interrupted.  
“But nothing was taken from the deceased? Don’t you think that’s odd?” “We interrupted them. They didn’t have a chance” she said, shrugging. The bearded man still did not seem convinced and grew annoyed that the embassy seemed to be concealing or misdirecting him. He opened his mouth but Lexa cut him off, raising her hand to silence him.  
“We’ve had a long night, detective. I’ll get my agents to show you out”.  
Displeased, the police officers had no real time to react before Indra and Anya were over to them. Resigned, the police stood, but the lead detective looked at both Lexa and Clarke pointedly:  
“You will both have to report to the station in the next few days and produce a formal witness statement. This is all for now”. 

The room emptied out, leaving Clarke and Lexa alone.  
“Lincoln will escort you back home whenever you’re ready. You did well today ambassador”. Clarke turned, shaking her head.  
“You know, I wasn’t even meant to be the ambassador here, not really”, she replied, removing her blazer, and undoing some of the buttons on her blouse. “This promotion and this move to Russia was meant to be temporary, and uneventful. The Russian embassy has been a classic listening post for years now. It hasn’t seen aggression for a long time. This is Marcus Kane’s job, I was only meant to be plugging the gap until the real ambassador arrived, and now look!”. Lexa didn’t care. “I’d heard. But Marcus Kane isn’t here now, you are and you held it together well”.  
“I don’t feel like I’m holding it together”, she said, her head in her hands. “Marcus is stuck holding the fort in Beirut after the embassy was attacked, and so my temporary stay in Moscow got extended indefinitely until a suitable replacement can be found for there. It’s a hard sell when the last ambassador had their throat slit and the video posted online... So my role of acting ambassador became something more permanent by default. Marcus would have handled this whole thing differently. I’m out of my depth”.  
“You were out there in Beirut when the embassy was attacked. I’ve seen the reports. Yes you lack seniority, sure, but don’t play down your own experience. I know you were lined up for a service role in Paris, but you’re a natural at being a leader”, Lexa said, sliding to sit on her desk near to where Clarke sat. Clarke looked at her, searching her eyes to see if this was genuine, or something the agent said to all those clearly distraught. A knock sounded at the door.  
“Enter”, Lexa called out, and a shirt was thrown at her, supplied by Anya.  
“I got this from your locker. Thought you’d like a change of clothes”.  
Lexa caught the shirt, flashing an appreciative smile before Anya was gone again.  
The agent’s phone rang and she looked at the blonde apologetically.  
“I should take this”, she said, her hand hovering over the receiver.  
“Yes, of course. I’ll leave you to it”, Clarke said, before bidding her farewell and exiting the room. 

Raven had waited outside, and Clarke was comforted to see a familiar face. They moved down the empty hallways, talking as they went. “Raven, were any files stolen this evening?”. “Yes, I’m working on what they contained. I should have an answer by the morning”.  
“Ok. Schedule a meeting for the morning. I want the black tie event to go ahead as planned. And order a press conference for noon. I’ll make a statement, announcing Finn as a low-level embassy worker who was mugged and murdered on his way home from work. We’ve got to contain this. Can you fabricate a statement to that effect?”. Clarke was rallying round, and had snapped back into her leadership role almost effortlessly, encouraged by Lexa’s much-needed pep talk.  
“Done”, Raven said simply, taking out her phone to call Bellamy.  
“I’m going to go wash up. I’ll meet you back over at my office in a bit”, Clarke spoke quietly, Raven nodding.

The blonde rounded the corner and opened the bathroom door, and was confronted with the sight of Agent Woods, her shirt off, wiping blood off her skin. A black lacy bra, covered curvy breasts.  
“Oh! I’m sorry. Shit. I was just trying to find somewhere to clean up. I’ll find another bathroom”.  
Lexa looked at her in the mirror, placing the wash cloth down gently and grabbing the edges of the sink. Her muscles flexed under her weight, as she rocked backforwards and forwards before turning to the figure in the doorway.  
“Stay... It’s fine. I’m almost done anyway. I just wanted to wipe some of this off me before putting a new shirt on”, she said, returning to her meticulous, but thankless task.  
The ambassador watched as the now red-stained cloth moved over toned stomach and ribs, noticing elaborate tattoos curling and twisting across the spy’s torso and arms. She could almost forget the fact it was blood from a murdered colleague who was double-crossing their country. Everything was such a mess. She caught herself staring, and cleared her throat, her emotions all over the place.  
“No, it’s fine. I’ll leave you to it”, she said, quickly closing the door and beating a hasty retreat, and trying to calm her fast heart rate for the second time that night.


	5. Chapter 5

It was the morning after the night before, and none of the staff had managed any substantial amount of sleep. All were too wired, too tense, too haunted by what had occurred. For Clarke the early morning was spent replaying past events, and rehashing her decisions that had ultimately led to the death of a member of her staff. It had only been a week, but it felt like she’d lived a lifetime already. Her mind wandered to meetings, and moments in corridors. It even drifted to the brunette CIA chief, wondering how she was able to stomach the situation, how she was able to so easily shoulder the burden and carry on. For the blonde it wasn’t so easy. She cried, and she mourned - for what it was worth - but then she shelved it. There was work to do, and there was no one but her who could do it. 

At 4am she took a call from Washington, uncomfortable and fraught, but entirely productive. The MO was to look for any further signs of a leak, and if so, plug them and stop them from spilling out, trickling down through enemy hands and infecting the status and well-being of the US. An operation would be launched to uncover the recipient of the documents, but otherwise the direction was to conceal the issue and move on. With this new sense of purpose Clarke finally allowed herself to rest, drifting in and out of sleep before her alarm screamed that it was the morning.

The blonde had slipped on her crispest suit, and pulled up to the embassy. She was power dressing, and she knew it, but this was her amour and she needed it today. She made her way along corridors, her high heels clicking like a metronome. Click, click, click, almost in time with her racing heart. She was flanked by Raven and Bellamy, faces set and ready. The meeting room was already full by the time they arrived. The military, CIA and Embassy all taking their seats. And so the clean-up began.

“We need to know exactly what was in each file leaked by Mr Collins”, a stern corporal barked. “Why am I only just learning about this now? How are the military meant to do their jobs effectively if we don’t know what’s going on?! This simply isn’t good enough!”, another said, slamming his fists down.

Clarke rubbed the back of her neck, absorbing his vitriol and returning it with poise and measure.  
“Corporal, I’m sorry. I had orders from Washington that this was to be kept amongst a deliberately small group. This was regrettable but necessary. Only now am I in a position to expand the circle. You’re right though, we need to recover the content of the files taken, as soon as possible, so that we can reconstruct a possible recipient. Raven? Can you handle this? Use Monty. I want a report by Monday morning”. 

“What about finding the recipient of the documents? How do we do that now without Finn to interrogate?”. Bellamy raised the point everyone was thinking about, and simultaneously avoiding. The room fell silent. “As we no longer have Finn Collins in play, we need to work this leak from other angles. There’s some people at other agencies I could discretely approach to try and find out anything, but otherwise it’s slow going from here on out”, Lexa interjected. “Our orders are to contain the issue and move forward, so our main priority is press and PR, and an urgent review of all protocols and security. We need to bury this however we can”. Clarke turned and looked at Lexa, nodding in full agreement, relieved to have someone on the same wave-length who was able to command the attention of the room so effortlessly.  
“Raven and Bellamy can discuss this with you”, the blonde answered. “I want new procedures ready to be put in place by the morning”.

The meeting adjourned an hour later, Lexa left the room and made her way back to the CIA station, talking with Indra as she moved down the corridors. Despite dealing with the residue of the Collins leak, it would be business as usual, and today was all business.

Much of the rest of the day was dominated by other work, affording the ambassador no time to think and dwell on what had passed, a fact which made her eternally grateful. On her way from one meeting to another she saw Lexa, who gave her a lingering smile and cocked her head as she approached.  
“Ambassador. I’m glad to see you’re back on top form today”.  
The blonde gave a tight-lipped smile.  
“Thank you. For everything last night. And for your input in the meeting today. I really value all of your support”. She said the last bit almost as a whisper, leaning in to the brunette as some administrative staff walked by.  
The brunette dipped her head, staring at her feet, nodding for a second.  
“It’s been some introduction to Moscow huh?... Thank you for convening the meeting today. I spoke with my boss back at Langley, and requested a few more people. One of them, Octavia Blake, I think your team will know? She’ll be here the end of next week”.  
“Octavia. Yes. It will be good to have her here. Finally some good news today”.  
“Indra requested her, so you’ve got her to thank. Right, well I’m off to see a contact now, so I’ll see you around”, Lexa replied, pushing off from the wall where she had been leaning.

“You’re late”, a redhead sipping a brandy shot.  
Lexa dropped herself into the sleek booth, in a trendy wine bar, in a touristy part of town.  
“Sorry. I got caught up with the ambassador at the embassy”.  
“I bet you did. She’s quite the stunner. Makes me almost wish I hadn’t ditched the company”, the woman joked, swirling her drink around its glass, the dark liquid sloshing and spinning.  
The redhead had trained with Lexa at the farm, but soon became disillusioned with the bureaucracy. She joined a private American security agency operating in Russia, and although she was largely left out in the cold by many of those at the agency, Lexa nurtured a professional relationship.  
“I don’t have much time Costia”  
“Spoilsport”, the woman opposite her replied, screwing her face up.  
Lexa looked around before leaning in, speaking quickly and quietly.  
“There’s been a leak at the embassy. We need to know where the documents went”.  
“Oh yeah, the dead guy on the sidewalk. I was wondering what was happening over there... I haven’t heard anything”.  
“Can you ask some questions? Your boss mixes in some choice circles..”. Lexa looked at Costia with pleading eyes, a look she was always a sucker for. The redhead rolled her eyes, and drummed her fingers on the table for a minute while she formulated her reply.  
“Fine, ok. No guarantees. I’ll see what I can find out, Lexa,”, she said, downing her drink, before rising to her feet, kissing the brunette on the cheek, and grabbing her purse and coat and leaving.

Returning to the embassy, the black tie event was in full swing. Lexa weaved through the crowd, perfectly fitting in with the clamour of bodies. She caught sight of Lincoln, wearing a tuxedo and chatting animatedly to a group of attendees. They caught each other’s eyes, but neither reacted, neither let on that they knew one another and that their motive for being at the event was to probe and protect. The CIA mixed seamlessly with the crowd, and Lexa used that cover to chat and observe and scrutinise.

After an hour of networking, the brunette agent exited the main hall through a doorway, where the guests were thinner on the ground, giving the woman breathing space. Bellamy and Raven came into view, conversing with two US military men in sharp pressed uniforms. She turned in the opposite direction and bumped into a stunning figure, perfectly dressed in an elegant navy gown, and sexy grey heels, all curves and red lipstick.  
“Ambassador...” she said, sucking in a breathe and ducking her head. Nothing about Clarke’s appearance or posture suggested any hint of the harrowing events of the night before. This was a performance worthy of an Oscar, and Clarke looked every inch the glamorous and beautiful movie star. 

Clarke smiled warmly, lingering on green eyes.  
“Hi, hey. How are you enjoying the party?” Clarke said, treating Lexa as she would any other guest in order to not blow the agent’s cover.  
“I’ve been hearing how charming you are from many of the attendees”, Lexa said, her posture formal but her voice casual.  
They held each other’s gaze for a moment too long, an unspoken question - are you ok? - on the edge of her lips.

A waiter appeared with a drinks tray, and the moment was gone. The pair parted ways, back on duty once again. Despite Clarke’s best efforts, her skin buzzed with the proximity to the spy, as they were forced to brush past one another in the confined space. Her evening suddenly felt more electric knowing she was now present, a buzz in the pit of her stomach that flipped and turned each time she looked up and caught site of the agent through the crowd. Nothing about the agent’s demeanour suggested a reciprocal reaction, and so Clarke buried it and carried on. The blonde didn’t noticed how the spy’s eyes drifted to her too.


	6. Chapter 6

Another busy week passed at the embassy, and in that time diplomats, marine guards and CIA had grown into their symbiotic relationship. Clarke gave a statement to an invited grouping of press regarding the murder of a member of her staff. She expressed an appropriate amount of sorrow, and stated how much she trusted the local police to bring justice for his family. There was a flurry of camera shutters and hands and voices raised for questions, all of which Clarke ignored, leaving the stage and leaving any further public talk of Finn Collins to her press officer.

There were no new leads on the embassy leak, but also no new leaks, which for the moment had to do. For Clarke, the fact that the trail had run dry sat heavily, and weighed her down. She, and no one else at the embassy felt safe or comfortable; the feeling of unease spreading through the building like a virus. The marine guards had tightened security in and around the embassy, their physical presence felt now more than ever, a constant reminder that something was amiss. The marine guard’s primary role was after all to protect the embassy’s confidential information, and so they too were under immense pressure to not let it happen again on their watch. The eyes of the homeland were on them.

Although the embassy was otherwise stable again, Clarke remained busy, having little time for anything other than eating, sleeping and working. Her autopilot setting was both a blessing and a curse. Octavia had arrived in the days before - Bellamy’s sister - who Clarke had worked with on previous diplomatic postings. Both had grown together professionally, and invariably (due to the intensity of their life) socially. Still, Clarke hadn’t even had a chance to welcome Octavia, despite her arrival at the CIA station days before. They passed once in a corridor, affording the chance of only a fleeting wave. They’d arranged a get together one evening, but there was too much happening for that to become an immediate reality. Clarke would rest, but not yet.

——-

In the middle of a meeting across town, the ambassador’s phone began to buzz in her pocket. She hung up on the caller, smiling politely at the dignitary, before tucking her phone back in her blazer. 

“Excuse me for the interruption. You were saying?” The blonde gestured, smiling and returning her full focus to the man in front of her talking about the finer points of trade deals. 

Two minutes later and there was a knock at the door, Raven entering, her face apologetic, but her body nevertheless committed to disrupting the meeting.

“I’m sorry Mr Spektor... Ambassador, we’ve been trying to contact you. I’m afraid this meeting is going to have to be rescheduled. We are needed back at the embassy, Ambassador. A car is waiting.”.

The blonde looked to the Latino woman quizzically, narrowing her eyes, before clicking back into a jolly demeanour to mask what she knew must be another emergency incident. 

“Anton Spektor, I do apologise for this change in our schedule. Raven will make sure we resume these talks as soon as possible. If you’ll excuse me”, Clarke said, rising to her feet, and doing up the buttons on her sleek jacket. She warmly shook the hands of the man opposite, kissing him on both cheeks, before hastily leaving.

She walked quickly through the building, Raven at her side, before being bundled into a waiting diplomatic vehicle, all shiny and black and intimidating. The vehicle immediately took off, a marine guard driving, and Lexa riding shotgun, talking on her phone, her voice a mixture of calm anger. Lexa looked into the rear view mirror, and ended her call abruptly, never taking her eyes from the ambassador’s blues.

“Raven? Agent Woods? What’s happening?”

The car screamed and screeched through the streets, as the brunette gulped and began her on-the-go briefing.

“We’ve got problems over at the embassy. The US president has ordered a new round of air strikes in Syria”.

“Shit. This news wasn’t meant to have broken until tomorrow?!” the blonde finally broke eye contact, throwing her head back against the headrest in frustration, and running her hand through her hair.

“Well, he shot his mouth off today in a press conference. Sadly, his comments weren’t the most professional, and naturally it’s angered a lot of people in the international community”.

“How are we meant to work like this? He’s a loose cannon!”

“This is some kind of joke! He’s endangering lives. We have protocols for a reason, and he’s just breaking them without consequence!” Raven interjected, pulling out her phone and scrutinising what was flowing through. 

Lexa nodded, and watched the road ahead. “A protest has gathered outside of the embassy”, the spy explained in a matter of fact way.

The blonde blew a puff of air out of her mouth, and sunk back in her seat, the fine chestnut leather creaking as she moved.  
“Is everyone ok?”.

“Yes... but it’s best all high-profile staff are recalled to the embassy in case anything gets out of hand. We need to formulate our next move, and work on a way to get that crowd dispersed”.

————————

The car turned again, weaving through traffic, until the embassy and the baying crowd outside came into sight. The car slowed, ploughing its way through the disgruntled people gathered.

“We’ll go round the back and into the underground parking lot. Everyone sit tight”, the otherwise silent marine guard murmured. 

“No. I need them to see me. Pull up as close to the front entrance as you can. The crowd doesn’t seem violent, just boisterous”.

“Ambassador, we won’t be able to guarantee your safety”, the guard retorted, a thick southern drawl coming through. 

Lexa raised her hand to silence him, as she got out her phone once again. “Anya, assemble at the front... we are aware... the crowd need to see her... ETA 1 minute”.

As the seconds counted down, Clarke’s body tingled with anticipation. The car pulled to a stop at the foot of the stairs, the crowd thinner but still ever present. Those in the front stepped out, and in a blink of an eye, the back doors were swiftly opened, and Raven and Clarke were being escorted out. 

The crowd jostled them, but Lexa stayed close to Clarke, Lincoln flanking her other side, as they moved up the steps. A large man bumped the group heavily, and Lincoln stayed back to hold him off while Lexa took Clarke’s arm and moved her forward, following close behind Raven, Anya and the marine. The pair swayed and pressed together; the brunette’s eyes Constantine scanning the crowd, her hands rarely leaving their positions at the small of Clarke’s back and on her forearm. The places where they touched burned, and Clarke was no longer sure if it was the thrill of the situation or the electricity of Lexa’s near presence; and this prospect was equal measure alarming and exciting. Occasionally, the spy pushed someone away forcibly, before her hands became soft again as she re-connected with Clarke’s body.

Once inside, her team and Lexa’s set to work and both were whisked away to their various rooms, focused only on what they needed to do to gain control of the situation. The diplomats drafted and released a statement within the hour, but this did nothing to quash the feeling of the crowds outside, who only accumulated in number as social media and news platforms advertised the impromptu event.

Several hours later, and with dismay both the CIA and embassy staff couldn’t even envisage leaving. The Russian officials were in no hurry to move the protestors away, enjoying watching the Americans squirm, so the embassy was virtually cut off and alone, forced to wait it out.

“Hey Clarke, looks like we aren’t going for that beer tonight after all, huh” a smiling Octavia said, popping her head around the door during a lull. 

“Yeah... I hear we are all staying here tonight, until the crowd decides to go home for the night...” the blonde replied, rubbing her face. “Hey, by the way. Welcome to Moscow”.

“I have to say, the locals haven’t given me a very warn welcome today... Come on over to the station. Bell’s coming. We’ll be opening a beer”.

“Maybe later. I’ve got some stuff to finish up here first. We will get that drink eventually though, I promise”.

———-

An hour later, and Clarke was making her way through the building, wanting an update from the marines.

Turning a corner she bumped straight into Lexa, both of them going wide eyed.

“Ambassador...”  
“I’m so sorry...”  
Both talked over the other, before laughing.

“I was just on my way to the guard station. I want to get a handle on the situation outside now”, the blonde said, clearing her throat and looking around the empty corridor in a vain attempt to distract herself from looking at the beautiful woman right in front of her.

“I’ve just come from there myself. No update really. The crowd is thinning slightly. The rain helps. Maybe we can all go home in a few hours if this weather keeps up. They’ll be back in the morning though I’m sure”.

“Just when I thought the embassy was finally calming down huh”.

“It’s certainly been more exciting around here since your arrival, ambassador”, Lexa replied, her voice and body entirely professional but her eyes betraying her, darting briefly, almost imperceptibly, to Clarke’s lips. The blonde wondered if she was seeing things, as the spy walked away, her whole body, like earlier, abuzz with energy.


	7. Chapter 7

Raven and Clarke found a moment of peace to sit on the staff couches and relax amongst all the late-afternoon bustle of another hectic day at the embassy. It was snowing outside, winter finally setting in, and neither were in an immediate rush to step out into the extreme cold. Lexa and Lincoln passed by, and the agent and ambassador shared a smile.

“What was that?”, Raven said, smirking.

“What?”

“Is something going on with you and the commander?”

“Commander Reece?! No. He’s about 60, Raven, and married, and very obviously not my type!”.

“No, I mean Agent Woods?” 

“She’s not a commander...”

Raven rolled her eyes and adjusted in her seat, her leg aching after a long day on her feet.

“It’s her nickname... Haven’t you noticed the other spooks calling her that?”

“Oh. Huh. Well that’s confusing” the blonde mumbled, rolling her neck and sinking back into the sofa.

“So...?”

“So... what?”

“Oh my God Griffin! Will you just answer the question?!”

“No, I think I’ll take a pass”.

“What?!”

Clarke shrugged and closed her eyes, the exhaustion from the day finally hitting home.

“Yeah, I’m just going to swerve that question,” Clarke said, chuckling.

“So that’s a yes then?”, Raven pried, wiggling her eyebrows.

“I’m a diplomat, so I’m a professional when it comes to deflecting, you know?”

“You’re infuriating”, Raven replied, throwing her hands up in the air, before turning to look at Clarke expectantly.

Sighing Clarke straightened up. “Fine. I think she’s attractive. Anyone with eyes surely thinks the same”.

“Well, from the way she keeps throwing glances this way, I think the feeling’s mutual”.

“Don’t be ridiculous Raven. We are sat beneath the tv screen you know? Everyone in here are throwing glances this way”.

Turning her body Raven looked up. 

“Oh! So we are”. 

They both shared a warm laugh, before they were interrupted again, this time by a rather afraid looking intern.

“I’m so sorry to bother you both, Ambassador Griffin, Miss Reyes”, the intern began, voice shaking, and notepad quivering. “We’ve just received a call. Apparently Jasper Jordan, one of senior members of the tech team, has been taken away by the Russian police for being drunk and disorderly”.

The intern gulped as both women turned to face the youngster.

“Where’s he been taken to?”

“Erm, one near Trubnaya, Miss Reyes. Bellamy called. He was with him in the bar”.

Clarke scrunched her face up, and shook her head.

“I’ll make some calls”, the blonde sighed, before leaving the room.

—————————

Snow fell throughout the night and the following day. Those who made it to work had left early, with reports of the snowstorm causing widespread power outages. Only the marine guard and the ambassador remained. Clarke, however, only had to walk a matter of metres to arrive at the ambassador’s residence, and so she used the quiet time to catch up on some admin. After a few hours she called it a day, shutting her computer off and grabbing her bag and coat. Winding her way through the building she saw a small team of CIA staff entering.

“Anya, Indra, hello. Braving the snow I see! I thought everyone had left.”

“Yes. An operation of ours went south. We’ve only just got back”.

Concern flashed across the blonde’s face, blue eyes studying the faces of the spies opposite.

“Is everyone ok?”

“Yes, we’ll survive. Lexa’s got a few nasty cuts though, but the medic has gone home”.

“Where is she?”

“Over on the second floor, trying to find a first aid kit”.

“Ok”, Clarke said, before turning toward the stairwell.

—————

Her arms folded, the ambassador stood in the doorway watching Lexa opening and closing draws. Clearing her throat to announce her arrive, the brunette turned, immediately connecting with concerned crystal blue eyes.

“Come. Sit”, Clarke said, motioning towards the bed in the medical bay.

Lexa immediately obeyed, lowering herself to a seated position, wincing slightly, while Clarke searched the cupboards for the appropriate supplies.

“You know we have medics for this right?” Lexa said, incredulous, watching as careful hands moved, selecting gauze, antiseptic, and cotton swabs, and lining them up neatly beside Lexa. The blonde continued her work, moving with a confident precision, grabbing some scissors, and ignoring the brunette whose eyes watched her every move.

Finally Clarke was ready, and she stood between Lexa’s legs, grabbing the alcohol and with the other hand softly taking the brunette’s chin between her thumb and forefinger.

“I think we both know the medic has gone home... it’s no bother Agent Woods”.

Clarke moved to Lexa’s cut eyebrow, and the brunette gripped the bed’s edge, long fingers curling and digging in as the alcohol stung and burned. 

“Your mother was a doctor wasn’t she? Before becoming senator, right?” 

Clarke hummed in response, not taking her eyes from the wound she was carefully cleaning. 

“A surgeon yes”, the ambassador softly husked.

“Weren’t you ever tempted to follow in her footsteps?”

“Sometimes. But sometimes I also wanted to be an astronaut too, or a warrior princess, so it’s probably a good thing I didn’t pursue all my potential careers...” Clarke chuckled, as her soft hands moved confidently across strong cheek bones, her finger tips burning and itching to touch more. Still, her focus remained tight on the task at hand so that she didn’t get distracted.

Green eyes sparkled, as the brunette watched the blonde’s features up close, forgetting the pain for a moment. Clarke moved to Lexa’s hand next, warm and soft, cleaning and neatly bandaging as she went. 

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No”, lexa replied, her voice suddenly hoarse. 

“Ok, good, well it’s all cleaned up, but you should check in with the medic in the morning, the blonde said, backing away.

Agent Woods nodded.

“Thank you Ambassador”, she said smiling.

At that, the lights cut out and the pair were plunged into darkness.

“Shit. Power cut”.

“The back up generators should kick in soon. The snow must be getting really bad”.

Moving toward the window, Clarke looked out.

“Great. The whole block is off. Probably should have invested in some candles over at the residence.”

“We can stop by my office when the emergency lights come on. I’ve got a draw full of them - you get used to the outages”.


	8. Chapter 8

Sometimes Clarke wished she was back in America, back immersed in western culture, in daytime tv, reality tv, and all the mindless trash in between. But Clarke knew, deep down, after just a few months stranded as the inexperienced ambassador in Moscow, that home wouldn’t feel like home again. It was all too easy back there, too safe, too clean. Although her team wasn’t under constant bombardment, like in the Middle East, Moscow offered a differed sort of peril - a cold, calculating, creeping enemy, the sort who would turn and then murder a member of her own staff and then disappear without trace. It was a fear of the ordinary becoming less ordinary, of the mundane suddenly twisting into a nightmare. If the Middle East was buckaroo, Russia was a game of chess, and Clarke and the woman stood next to her had to protect the King at all costs.

“Do you think you’d ever go back to the USA?” Clarke asked, snapping out of her musing as she followed Lexa down dimly lit corridors; the emergency lights having finally kicked in. 

“What was that?” the woman with green eyes replied, not expecting the blonde to have said anything after a comfortable silence had settled in on their way to her office.

“Do you think you could ever go back to civilian life, back home?”

They passed a marine guard, who stiffened up upon seeing the ambassador and station chief strolling along together.

Lexa pouted, which Clarke couldn’t help but find sexy, before her answer rolled off her tongue.

“I think my people here need me too much, so it isn’t really an option. Why? Are you already pondering a transfer?” The brunette tried to keep her voice level, casual, pretending that the reason for her sudden anxiety was the wish not to have another pompous ass in the role.

Clarke smiled, and shook her head.

“You know, two out of three exes of mine would say that I prefer to live in a constant state of chaos... Although it pains me to say, they are probably right”.

Lexa nodded, returning the smile, feeling at once at ease again.

“Let me guess, you dated the school quarterback?” Lexa continued, surprising herself.

“Oh right? Why’s that?” Clarke said, a combination of intrigued and amused.

“I don’t actually know. You just seem like the type” the brunette admitted, shrugging.

The ambassador threw her head back laughing.

“Oh yeah. That’s right. You’ve read my file, so you’ve got me all figured out I guess” she got out between chuckles, while Lexa narrowed her eyes.

“What’s so funny?”.

“Oh. Just some things obviously weren’t in my file then if that’s your assessment Agent Woods”.

Just as Lexa was about to query Clarke’s current amusement her phone rang. 

“Sorry, I should take this” she said, looking at Clarke quickly before answering. Clarke watched as the brunette talked quickly and professionally, before tucking her phone away again. Clarke watched Lexa’s face become softer, warmer almost, but decided that was wishful thinking. 

“That was a contact of mine. She wants to meet me. I asked her to keep her ears to the ground regarding the Collins case. Looks like she might have something”. Lexa said, a very small smile begging to spill out of her lips, hopeful almost. 

“Finally some good news. Where are you meeting?”

“Over the west side of town, a jazz bar...” the brunette trailed off as her eyes landed on her bandaged hand. 

“Need a ride?” The blonde smirked. “I figure you can’t drive with that hand, and your team have all probably gone already. We can take one of the diplomatic cars”.

Lexa hesitated, clearly weighing up her options. 

“You don’t need to do that ambassador. I can just get a cab”, the soy said, shaking her head. Her hand travelled up to clutch her side, as she winced.

“Are you hurt there agent? Let me see”.

The brunette didn’t move, so the blonde roller her eyes and grabbed the brunettes blouse, lifting it up to reveal bruising and a sore-looking graze.

“You should’ve seen the other guy” lexa tried to joke between gritted teeth, as Clarke ran her hand along bruised ribs, leaving trails of goosebumps everywhere she touched.

“Come on. We will go and meet your contact, and then I’ll deal with this. I’ve got some supplies over at the residence... and in reply to your previous comment - I’m the head of this embassy, so I want to know that intel. Whatever your contact has to say effects me, so I’m coming. This isn’t negotiable and you’re not getting a taxi. I’ll call the driver and ask him to bring around a car.” 

The agent slumped down onto a seat, and blew out a puff of air, surprised and a little impressed at how she’d just been spoken to. 

———————-

The sound of a saxophone flooded the stairwell as the two women descended into the west side basement bar. The improvised tune rapped around them and drifted away, as they arrived at the bar, both ordering a whisky straight, and both looking at the other in shock.

“Thought you’d be more of a red wine kind of woman, ambassador” the brunette said smoothly as the brought her glass up to her lips, her eyes never leaving the blonde’s.

“Well, I guess I’m just going to be a constant surprise to you this evening.” The blonde said, downing her drink easily and placing it back on the bar. Clarke’s eyes began scanning the room, looking for Lexa’s mysterious contact to arrive.

“She’s over there” lexa said, nodding over to the entrance, before taking another casual sip of her drink.

The ambassador turned and watched a goddess approach, red hair, pale skin, brown eyes, and oozing confidence. 

“Hey sweet cheeks” the woman purred as she kissed lexa on the cheek, lingering for a moment, and then turning to the suited woman next to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Ambassador Griffin, meet Costia”.

“Oh, I see I’m in distinguished company. Pleasure to meet you ambassador”, the woman said, giving Clarke a slow look up and down and extending her hand. Lexa watched on, her face neutral but her body becoming at once protective. 

“Costia. You said you had some information”.

Spinning around, Costia faced the spy, a smirk on her face. 

“Straight to business I see. Hmm”, she said, dropping onto a barstool. 

“I’ve got a name. Ontari”.

Clarke’s eyes snapped to Lexa’s, searching for any hint of what that could mean, and finding nothing.

“And what does Ontari have to do with this?” Lexa finally replied, crossing her arms.

The redhead shrugged, and kicked her shoe against Lexa’s barstool absentmindedly, before brushing her foot up the spy’s calf slowly.

“All I’ve got is a name, beautiful”.

Lexa ignored Costia’s flirtations and turned to Clarke, placing a hand on her forearm. 

“Ontari works for the Azgeda family”.

Clarke stood, and took out her phone, moving away from the pair while she called Raven.

Costia crossed her arms, and followed Lexa’s line of sight. Cocking her head to one side, she mused:

“The moment she walked in to your life I didn’t stand a chance did I?”

“Huh?” Lexa said, her brow furrowed. 

“I saw her picture in the press the other week. Knew she was pretty. She’s stunning in the flesh. I can see why you like her.”

“I don’t... this isn’t like that”, Lexa began, suddenly flustered.

“You keep telling yourself that sweet cheeks” Costia said, taking Lexa’s face in both her hands and pecking her square on the lips. 

“See you around”, she said, as she turned and met Clarke’s shocked gaze. Throwing the blonde a wink, Costia weaved her way out of the jazz club.


End file.
